{"id":35903,"date":"2024-02-06T14:32:54","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T13:32:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/6e7eac18-704b-4ac8-af77-906e436e2838"},"modified":"2024-02-06T15:35:39","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T14:35:39","slug":"does-head-butting-give-animals-concussion","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/does-head-butting-give-animals-concussion\/","title":{"rendered":"Does head butting give animals concussion?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Head-butting is used by some pigs, sheep and goats, even whales and dolphins, to settle disputes and display dominance. Until recently, it was assumed that these animals\u2019 thick skulls and horns protected them, but by studying the brains of musk ox and bighorn sheep, evolutionary biologist Nicole Ackermans has found signs that the repeated blows are causing injuries. The dead and dying neurons she found inside these animals\u2019 brains may lead to degeneration similar to that seen in humans after recurrent blows the head. But while we now know repeated head-butting can cause long-term damage, we don\u2019t know enough about <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 06 February 2024 at 13:32 PM<\/p>

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Head-butting is used by some pigs, sheep<\/a> and goats, even whales and dolphins<\/a>, to settle disputes and display dominance. Until recently, it was assumed that these animals\u2019 thick skulls and horns protected them, but by studying the brains of musk ox<\/a> and bighorn sheep, evolutionary biologist Nicole Ackermans has found signs that the repeated blows are causing injuries.<\/p>

The dead and dying neurons she found inside these animals\u2019 brains may lead to degeneration similar to that seen in humans after recurrent blows the head. But while we now know repeated head-butting can cause long-term damage, we don\u2019t know enough about animal behaviour to tell whether they\u2019re suffering from concussion symptoms, which include headaches, feeling dazed and memory loss.<\/p>